3 Disney Box Office Failures That Actually Became Fan-Favorites Years Later

For the most part, Disney has firmly established itself as the king of the box office. They’re behind some of the highest-grossing films of all time, including the record-breaking Zootopia 2, Avengers: Endgame, The Lion King, Avatar: The Way of Water, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Inside Out 2, Spider-Man: No Way Home, and more. However, even Disney is home to its fair share of box office bombs that cost the studio millions of dollars. These films disappoint commercially for a slew of reasons, and some never fully recover from their poor box office performance.

That said, a few of Disney’s biggest commercial flops have managed to find new life years later. In some cases, they made more money than expected once they arrived on home video, while in others, people discovered the movies on cable or through streaming services and grew to love them over time. This has helped movies transform from bombs to misunderstood classics. In many ways, these films are more timeless and hold up better than some of the biggest box office successes in history. Now, these flops are among Disney’s most beloved projects ever.

3) The Black Cauldron (1985)

These days, animated movies tend to have massive budgets to the point where they need to gross nearly $1 billion to be successful. For example, Zootopia 2 and Frozen 2 both had budgets of $150 million. Compared to those, The Black Cauldron’s budget of around $44 million seems unimpressive, yet it was the largest budget for an animated movie at the time. So, the fact that it only grossed back $21 million made it one of the biggest bombs in history. It hurt even more because Disney wasn’t a powerhouse studio at the time.

Most of the ’80s were a struggle for Disney, as they only turned things around with The Little Mermaid in 1989, which started the Renaissance Era. Without that, The Black Cauldron could’ve marked the beginning of the end for Disney. Thankfully, the years have been kind to The Black Cauldron. It has been reevaluated as a classic because it’s unlike other Disney projects. It has a darker tone, no musical numbers, and a rare PG rating. The Horned King also makes for one of the most terrifying villains in any Disney film.

2) Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001)

Atlantis: The Lost Empire shares a lot in common with The Black Cauldron. It also failed commercially, grossing only $186 million on a reported budget of $120 million, yet it has become beloved for its uniqueness. Setting the film in 1914 and focusing on an adventure to discover the lost city of Atlantis felt different from a lot of what Disney had produced to that point. It goes beyond that though, as the movie also boasts a talented voice cast and features an impressive animation style that stands out from most of what was out at the time.

The movie had a lot of competition upon release, including going up against the CGI visuals of Shrek. That made Atlantis: The Lost Empire seem kind of dated in comparison. However, over the years, so many CGI animated films have come out that they can start to run together, meaning that the almost comic book style of Atlantis: The Lost Empire has become more appreciated. The popularity of the movie has led to cast reunions and even an appreciation for the straight-to-video sequel, Atlantis: Milo’s Return, released two years later.

1) Treasure Planet (2002)

Following the rousing success of the Renaissance Era for Walt Disney Animation Studios throughout the ’90s, they ran into some trouble in the 2000s. Many films were either forgettable, like Home on the Range, or were good, yet they flopped, like Treasure Planet. A futuristic retelling of Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island, the movie had a fun concept and included cool concepts like spaceships that resembled sailing vessels from centuries past. It also had a lofty budget of around $140 million, which meant it had an uphill battle to end up as a success.

Alas, Treasure Planet only ended up reeling in less than $110 million, making it a massive failure. Its box office intake helped end the era of 2D animation for Disney, especially when put next to a blockbuster 3D hit like Ice Age. Treasure Planet did earn a Best Animated Feature Oscar nomination and has become even more beloved over the years. The visual style is timeless and blends nautical themes with sci-fi elements. The story it’s adapted from is also timeless, which makes this cult classic one of the studio’s greatest releases ever.

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